중앙데일리

DSME to build ship to rescue subs

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) inked a 443.5 billion won ($395.7 million) contract to supply a submarine rescue ship to the Korean Navy, the company said Friday.

The vessel will be delivered to the navy by the end of 2022.

The ship will be used to save crews trapped in submarines, supporting naval operations that involve submarines and recovering sunken vessels. It will also support the Navy’s underwater research and mapping.

The vessel will be equipped with a deep submergence rescue vehicle that can go as deep as 500 meters (1,640 feet) and a rescue chamber that can accommodate up to nine people. They will be used to save trapped sailors.

A remotely-operated underwater vehicle, an unmanned vehicle used to monitor underwater environments capable of operations at 1,000 meter depths, will be mounted on the ship.

Back in 1996, DSME built the Korean Navy’s only submarine rescue ship, dubbed Cheonghaejin. The latest order comes as the Navy feels the need for an additional rescue ship as the number of submarines it operates has increased.

Following the success of the latest deal, the shipbuilder is also looking to start selling submarines and submarine rescue ships as a single package aimed at Asian countries that are actively acquiring submarines. The company said the strategy will help boost its submarine exports.

“We inked over $1 billion of orders for our defense products this year,” said Park Du-seon, executive vice president of naval and special ship business unit at DSME. “By allocating outstanding talent and investing in research and development, we plan to win over $1 billion of orders from our defense portfolios every year.”

Thanks to the latest order, DSME achieved 83 percent of its $7.3 billion sales target for this year, the company said. The shipbuilder inked orders for 14 liquefied natural gas carriers, 16 very large crude carriers, seven very large container ships and five special-purpose ships.